Project: Genesis
by Demeter Lythersin
Summary: Poor, poor Duo. Everyone blames him for everything, even on the rare occasions it's not his fault. And now he has sent himself and his fellow pilots through a portal to a parallel dimension, where things aren't as they seem. What will the other pilots do
1. Prelude to a nightmare

Project Genesis

Sometimes there are certain moments in life that, by some incredible jest of Fate, see fit to force on a person decisions that change that life - often decisions we don't remember making.

What if a world existed, parallel to our own and yet completely different: a world in which you said 'yes' instead of 'no' and the moon spun backwards – sort of the proverbial butterfly batting its wings in Tokyo and causing a storm in New York, so to speak.

Individuals have such great potential for good and evil.


	2. When all else fails, blame Duo

Project Genesis – Chapter 1

"Despite the obvious effectiveness of the portal and the time we put into its construction, I still have reservations about its application in this manner," a gentle voice protested, picking up the old argument where he and his companions had left off the previous night.

"Don't be foolish. The Genesis Portal could provide unforseen benefits to both this existence and the alternate plane –" an older, sharper voice began.

"Benefits aside, we should _tell _them, for God's sake!" the original voice cut in.

"There is no point. The Lightning Count knows, presumptuous interfering bastard that he is, and as far as I can tell, that is enough!" the second voice snapped heatedly, obviously miffed at being cut off.

"Hush, gentlemen. I was against this convening from the start, but I have been proven wrong," a deep, authoritative tongue mumbled. "We are five of the greatest minds of our race. Do not revert that certainty into my initial assumption," he chided, with a touch of threat.

After a moment of silence, the sound of uneasy shuffling echoed around the mecha-filled hangar. "But why _him_? The others already blame the poor child for everything, but this…" the first voice trailed off and sighed, pleading with his reluctant comrades.

"It's too late now. What will be will be," the deep voice intoned firmly.

"It's late in more ways than one," another voice, low and sensible, put in, signalling an end to the argument. "We should leave now, or they'll figure out we've been up to something."

"Hn," came an answering grunt of assent from the other man who'd remained silent thus far, not that he said a lot anyway.

Boots scraped on steel stairs, the faintly metallic thud bouncing off the walls in unwanted companionship. A heavy door hissed shut, and a faint blip of a security alarm fell on deaf ears. Then, silence.

BEEP-BEEP-BEEP-BEEP-BEEP-BEEP-THUNK-BEEP-BEEP-BEEP--

Duo grudgingly opened one eye, wondering why the hell his alarm clock wouldn't shut up. The 'thunk' had been him throwing the device against the wall. BEEP-BEEP-BEEP-- Wait a second. He didn't _have _an alarm clock. So what had he sent to an untimely death against the wall? And _what_ was that noise…? _Aw, crap._

Suddenly wide awake, Duo recognised the incoming mobile suit siren and struggled to his feet, searching desperately for clothes in the localised disaster area that was his room. _Ah, on the chair, just where I left 'em._

He'd managed to put on all but his boots when a frantic thumping started at his door. _Please, not now…no more noise. I shouldn't have finished that bottle of bourbon…ugh._

"Maxwell! Get your ass out here now! You bring great dishonour on us all by –"

"Can it, Wufei. I'm coming, and you didn't have to wait for me, you know," Duo grumbled, one boot on and leaning on the doorframe while he hopped and struggled with the other.

Wufei gave the young man a withering 'Stupid Woman' look, turned sharply on his heel and ran after Heero to the hangar.

Boot under control, Duo turned to his remaining two companions. "Well guys? Shouldn't we go now?" He grinned, feeling a lot better than he had when he'd first woken up, and took off down the hallway at a pace even Trowa's long legs couldn't keep up with.

Quatre smiled gently at his tall friend as they paused to clear the lock on the hangar door by retinal scan. "He has a remarkable recovery rate, doesn't he?"

Trowa nodded slightly, and twisted the corners of his lips upward in what was more a twitch than an actual smile. It didn't matter though, the little blonde understood him.

__

Spaceheart, he thought absently. _He really, probably is._

Sandrock's hand-blades sliced effortlessly through the smaller, slower Leo suits, sending them crashing to the ground in sparking, smouldering heaps of circuitry while Wing Zero's beam cannon blew others into nonexistence. Within a matter of minutes, most of the force had been decimated and the few remaining suits, whether out of stupidity or pure bad luck, found themselves surrounded by five massive Gundams.

"Give up now, and you will not be harmed," Quatre's voice crackled over the radio. 

"Quat_re_…" Heero growled warningly. Despite the gentle plea, the suits showed no signs of giving up yet, no way never. It almost seemed as though they were hiding something…

An uncharacteristic squeal of pain and surprise from Heero affirmed this as Wing Zero slammed into the unforgiving mountainside, sent on its far-from-merry way by a blast from Tallgeese.

"Really Heero, I expected more from the Perfect Soldier," Zechs announced disdainfully over the com-link. 

"Heero! You alright?!" Duo shouted unnecessarily in concern. When he was met with nothing but unrelenting static, his blood ran cold. He turned Deathscythe aggressively toward the OZ Gundam and snarled. "Now you've _pissed me off._"

"Duo, what's that thing on your –" Trowa began an instant too late, for as he spoke the thermal blade flared to new brightness as Deathscythe struck at Tallgeese, and the world disappeared into that greenish light.

"What did you do _now_, Maxwell?!" Wufei bawled from the cockpit of Shenlong.

"I didn't do _anything!_ At least, I don't _think _I did anything." Trying his best to hide his hurt, Duo folded his arms and glared at Wufei in silent protest. Inexplicably, his view screen lit up with a blipping sound, and a recorded message began to play.

"Doc?" Duo cried out in confusion and relief.

"Transmit whatever it is you're watching to the rest of us," Heero said flatly. "Maybe we'll get some answers from it."

Duo punched a few keys on his control board obediently, and the rest of his companions watched curiously as the image of the professor responsible for the creation of Deathscythe seemed to wait patiently.

"I'm confident I have now given you enough time to share this message with your comrades, Duo. Be aware that if you are indeed seeing this message, the Genesis Portal is functioning properly. Huy, Barton, Winner, Chang – this is not Duo's fault. The triggering device was placed on the end of his thermal scythe so that when it reached full power, the portal would be opened. He was not aware of this nor could he have been.

"The Portal itself has reached prototype stage, and …_some_ of us felt it to be safer to test it out on you five. The Portal creates a gateway between dimensional parallaxes close to our own plane of existence. Therefore, it can be assumed that technology there is very similar to what we have in the dimension you've just vacated. To get back, you must find this reality's version of us. They will undoubtedly be at a similar stage in the development of such devices.

"The reason this dimension was chosen is simply because we could not detect your individual life forces here. In short, here you are either dead or never existed." A faint sound could be heard in the background, suspiciously like a knock. The professor leaned forward, suddenly earnest, and whispered fiercely, "I was never meant to tell you any of this. This message itself will be…_was_ tapped into Deathscythe's hard drive less than two hours ago. The others will be most upset if they find out what I've done. Therefore, respect the risk I've taken for you and _don't tell them_. No matter where you are, just _don't_. Good luck." The message ended with a sharp click, and static filled the viewing screens.

For the first time in his life, Duo Maxwell, the Loudmouthed Wonder, was lost for words.

"What're we going to do?" Quatre whispered disbelievingly.

"We're going to complete our mission, or die trying," said Heero tonelessly.

Duo found his voice. "Gods, Heero! Don't you care about _anything_?! Aren't you the least bit curious as to what the hell is going on?!"

Heero raised an eyebrow. "I'm a soldier, Duo. I'm not meant to care. All that matters now is our objective," he muttered dispassionately, the antithesis of the long haired boy deeply involved in a fit of indignation and barely hidden terror in the cockpit of the enormous black gundam. Deathscythe, on the other hand, looked blankly at the other mechas as it stoically protected its pilot while he threw a tantrum. Sandrock, Wing Zero, Heavyarms and Shenlong looked back just as blankly, as if none of them wanted anything to do with the mess they'd become entangled in.

Having calmed himself considerably after deciding now really wasn't the time or place to lose his marbles, Duo glared at Heero with as much bitterness as he could muster. "You know what your problem is, Heero?" Without waiting for the response that more than likely wouldn't come, Duo curved his lips into a feral smile and went on. "You're too damned intense for your own good, and it'll get you into more trouble than even _I _ever could. I know it makes _me _sick."

"Um, guys?" Trowa interrupted quietly, "I hate to sound clichéd, but we have company."


	3. Foiled by a man with a ten-inch nose

"_Why the hell am I still here?!_"

Doctor J started in shock, while across the room Dr G let out a small yelp of surprise. Zechs slammed the door behind him so violently that the hinges trembled.

"Well? Who's going to answer me?!" the enraged Commander bellowed.

"Nobody if you continue to act like a child," J snapped, brushing his coat defensively.

Zechs bristled, but closed his mouth.

"Now, the only conclusion we could arrive at was that you exist as a living entity in the plane the pilots were sent to, and as such, cannot exist dually there," J continued. Zechs raised an eyebrow. "You can't go there because in that world you already exist?" J looked searchingly into the platinum blonde's face, scrutinising it for signs of comprehension. 

"Don't look at me like that. I understood you the first time, you old fool."

Across the room, Dr S snickered. "No need to get snarky, Commander. You knew there was a risk you wouldn't be taken with them. There's simply nothing to be done until they return."

Behind the heavy silver mask Zechs contemplated this, and, grasping a firm hold of his temper, pursed his lips into a thin smile of barely concealed contempt. "Very well, gentlemen. I guess I'll come back when the pilots return." With that, he bowed politely and turned on his heel, stalking down the corridor on his way out.

Doctor J ran his hands through his hair and turned to G. "You picked that plane deliberately, didn't you?"

"I couldn't find a plane where all of them didn't exist, and I figured our dear Marquise to be the least important," G replied through his wild mop of hair.

"You did it deliberately, didn't you?" J pressed.

G shrugged. "I built a Gundam, for chrissake. Nobody as ignorant as him can force someone as smart as me into anything." He smirked evilly. "I wasn't sending that hotheaded bastard anywhere, and maybe he'll think better of it next time he tries to bully an old man into doing his dirty work."

A.N: Kouhikouryuu-chan - I usually don't explain why I write what I write, but in this, Zechs ain't exactly the most charming individual you'll ever come across. Just a warning if it squicks you. ^-^;

And as for plot? Well, I'm getting there! Have patience.

~J


End file.
